Improved railroad chair and coupling



i UNITED STATES` WELLS HENDERSHOTT, OF BATAVIANEW YORK.

IMPROVED RAILROAD CHAIR AND COUPLING.

Specication forming part of Letters Paten-t No. 47,@20, dated May 23, 1865.

To @ZZ whom it may concern..-

Beit known that I, WELLS HENDEEsHo'r'r, of Batavia, .Genesee county, New York, have invented a new and Improved Rail (Jhair or Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

vTo enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

My rail chair or coupling to support and couple the ends of the rails together may be made of wood or castor wroughtiron. Itis usu ally made in three parts-the base, letter g, and two cheeks or side pieces, b b, to fit into the hollow sides of the rail. It may be advisable to make the base of wroughtiron, with two sides turned updn order to form a shoulder for the bottom ofthe side pieces to rest against.

In making the chair all of wood except t-he bolts or spikes, or of cast-iron, I cast'the base with shoulders, against which rest the side pieces on each side, as shown at letters f f. This base should be no larger or thicker than is sufficient to furnish a firm support. It may be about one foot long, and from six to eight inches wide, and about one-half of an inch thick at the sides, and one-quarter of aninch thick between the shoulders. The side pieces are made to t into the hollow part of the rail, extending down and resting upon the base and against the shoulders, as seen at letters f 7", Figure II. I bolt the side pieces and base firmly in the bolts, letters el d, and if it is desired to place the chair between the sleepers or cross-ties, I hold them securely by the keys c c or, if the chair is placed upon the cross-tie, it should be secured with a spike driven into the tie.

In order to allow for the expansion and contraction of the rail caused by heat and cold, I make aslotin the iiange or the edge ofit where the bolt or spike passes through the rail, suficiently long to allow such contraction and ex- 4 iitted into the hollowing part thereof, and` these supporting sides are fastened in a inanner so as not to weaken the rails by having holes made to receive bolts passing through them horizontally, and it is evident thatthis chair and coupling may be placed between the sleepers or cross-ties, and that the rails will then be held and supported, and the upper surface kept upon a level, and much of the concussion of trains avoided.

I use the side pieces and the crosstie in place of a base, or make the tie into a base with shoulders to hold the side pieces, and the cross-tie thus arranged is represented by letters g gin Fig. II. This arrangement saves and prevents much of the heavy concussion of heavy trains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is as follows, viz:

Making a rail chair and coupling with a base-plate, g g, with square flanges fj for the side pieces to rest against, with side` or splice pieces, b b, having square shoulders It h, 'said splices and base being bolted or spiked to the cross-tie through long slots in the iianges of each side of the rail, or bolts may be secured by a key, all constructed substantially as described, and for the purpose herein set forth.

WELLS HENDERSHO'TT.

Witnesses:

W. T. BLiss, H. U. SorER. 

